May

The Orb of Mysticism - 1x1 RP between May and Black Ninja

They're doing pretty good. Holiday and holiday prep just consumed a lot of my time. Trying to get presents made before it's the rush. How's things with you?

The Orb of Mysticism - 1x1 RP between May and Black Ninja

Gah, life kinda slammed me there. I'm so sorry.

The Orb of Mysticism - 1x1 RP between May and Black Ninja

She leaned against him a little more when he gave her the half hug, closing her eyes and just enjoying that they could be so casual with one another and not have to worry about the wrong sort of thing happening. Not that she ever considered that Roger would be the kind of man to do that even with a woman he did not know as well as Bea. She looked up at him with a little smile as he dropped his arm and stepped back the slightest bit as well, though she was still easily within reach of him.

“I’m sure we will as well,” she said, sounding confident as well. They would do this, for her father. “Just hopefully it won’t cost us too much to do so.” And it was clear that her words implied not a monetary cost.

{} {}

“Sorry,” she murmured with a little chuckle at Estella’s surprise. She hadn’t meant to startle her any, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t amused by it a little bit. She rarely got to sneak up on people like that, so it wasn’t often she surprised anyone like that.

She watched her think, then watched her feel self conscious about her appearance it seemed. “No one’s really, truly, qualified for anything,” she said with a little shrug of her shoulders. “But I don’t think that should hold you back any from doing what you want. Besides, Dad knows a decent amount about what to do, so it isn’t like you’re in this alone. And he’s been on this ship so long, that when he’s not distracted, he does know when something is wrong. Don’t ask him technical terms though, because he’ll just call it a ‘do hicky’ or whatever.”

Rebeca smiled and took a step closer to her, not crowding her any though. “I’m glad you’re here. You seem...happier. You don’t have to worry about impressing us any, by the way. Just be yourself.”

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

☽Masha ☾

Arc 2 Day 1
{One Night in Hell club | Around 10 am }

The last few months had been something of a trip. Things had started off violent and heavy and she was a little afraid, honestly, that things were only going to get worse. But Cortes had backed off for some reason. Oh he still subtly tried to sabotage the whole thing and was about as counterproductive as he could be without it outright hurting his bottom line. Which meant they still made money, and they still got new people coming in. But he made it hard for that to work efficiently.

But while word got out that there was new management, more people, and surprising to her, more high profile people showed up to their shitty little club. Even while there was construction dust everywhere. Even while the walls didn’t have the same matching paint job. She’d even attracted the attention of some people who she honestly didn’t know what they were up to. But they’d offered her a load of money if they could use the place as their hub of sorts and a meeting place. And since she’d spoken with Darius to double check that he was alright with it, she had said yes. She was still waiting for the money of it all to come in, but it had definitely already been of help. She had no idea what they were up to, and only vaguely who they were against. She’d been focused on much smaller politics to worry about the whole larger scale of things. Trying to take down a gang being run by your own ‘co-owner’ took a lot more time than she had thought it was going to in the first place.

But today, at last, was the day that she had been working towards for three months. Today was the day of the grand reopening of One Night in Hell. The place was shining, and would be extra so by the time the doors officially opened. Everyone was on call to be there to get things set up. Make sure the dishes were washed, get prep work in the kitchen done, clean the bar tops, the tables, the floors. Make sure stock was done and that there would be no ‘sorry, we’re out of that’ this evening. That would not do at all.

There was so much going on in her head just then though, that she had to stop, literally in the middle of the club, to look around and see what exactly it was that she needed to be doing just then. She stood, grumbling in her native tongue about how stupid she felt just then. Thankfully, it seemed that no one seemed to really speak Russian. Or at least had come forward admitting that they did. So she was sure she just looked crazy. And just then she didn't care.

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

☆ Helena ☆
Back at School

The trip back to the school felt so strange. She had dreams. Weird, strange dreams of darkness and tentacles and this...this man, tall, dark haired, and the coldest thing she’d ever seen in her life. She woke up sometimes, sweating so badly from a dream. It wasn’t so much fear, the dream itself wasn’t that scary as far as she could recall as the images fled from her mind, it was just...something so powerful that she felt weak and small by comparison. And she didn’t like that.

But none of those memories stayed with her during the day. And for that, she was glad. She didn’t want to end up doodling those things in her notebook and then having to see them again later and wind up freaking herself out more. So she just settled with spending as much time with Annabeth as she could. Because despite the cloud that hung over what had happened, she had this intense feeling that she could have lost her and she didn’t want to miss out on any time with her. And she was very glad that Annabeth seemed just as inclined to spend the time with her. But even so, when they made it back to school, things went back to being a little more casual between. Which was also something she was totally pleased with. She wanted friends more than anything anyways, so she could live with that.

She was still settling back in, but she was over being in her room unpacking, so she headed back out to wander through the slightly dark halls of the college. She was sue she'd run into someone.

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

☾Masha ☾

{One Night in He'll nightclub|| Day 4, afternoon }

Nabriales had seen himself out not too long after they had finished setting up most of the details about his new employment. She still wasn't fully certain having him there was the best of ideas, but she did enjoy the way he'd tried to embarrass Cortes. And she could deal with that for a few weeks while she found someone a little more permanent. And a little more able to be controlled by her. That was a little more important to her. Especially with Cortes being who he was.

So she went back to flipping through paint colors, checking profiles of local interior designers, even though she figured she could do it herself and save some money. She had done it before, after all, and she'd been in enough clubs to know what was good and what wasn't. So she was sure that she could handle it.

She was sure that someone would be along shortly to beg for a job that they probably shouldn't be taking.

Damian fingered the newspaper clipping in his hand as he walked down another dodgy looking alley in the entertainment district, eyes scanning the small ad for the hundredth time as he tried to wrap his head around the current situation. To say he’d been a touch confused when one of Darius’ goons had stopped by to give him a seemingly random newspaper ad that morning and an order to apply was an understatement, even after looking up all the info he could on this ‘One Night in Hell’ club.

From what he could gather, it used to be a pretty popular spot till a change in management, as the previous owner had met their end in an ‘accident’, and was immediately replaced by this Cortes guy. How . . . convenient for him.

Too convenient.

After the change, the club had seem to have fallen into obscurity, plagued with numbers of complaints, fired staff, and more ‘accidents’ and disappearances. It hardly seemed like the kind of place that an errand boy like him would be sent to in order to work, but it wasn’t his job to question Darius. He just had to do what he was told and try not to screw things up.

That being said, the thought of having to run two part-time jobs on a regular basis brought about a slight grimace to his face. While it wasn’t like he had much else to do in the city, his time as Darius’ errand boy and messenger was harrowing enough for the young licentia without adding in the stress of two jobs, especially given how one of them required constant interaction with Mr. Nabriales. While Damian held a good deal of respect for the man and his craft, having to serve as his guinea pig had lead to some awkward and embarrassing moments, such as the whole kerfuffle with Ms. Corinna.

Just the thought of that whole incident brought both a blush and a shiver to Damian, the memory of her parting words still poking at his mind, no matter how hard he tried to ignore them. With a sigh, he pocketed the clipping, letting his mind and feet wander ever so slightly

After a few more minutes of walking, he would find himself at his destination, a rather drab looking building that seemed more suited for storage than entertaining the many party-goers that made up Ominar’s nightlife. As he cautiously made his way inside, he found the interior to not be much better, as the decor looked as someone tried to depict a classic depiction of the underworld with left halloween decorations. Damian wondered whether it’d truly was worth it to renovate this dump of a club, but quickly shook off the thought as he turned his attention to the bar where he noticed two people, a man and a woman, sitting down and talking to what must be another job applicant. Well, one of them was talking, the man seemingly more interested in his drink than anything else.

Not wanting to interrupt, Damian simply took a seat nearby, waiting for his presence to be acknowledged in someway.

It took Masha a few moments before she looked up again, glancing around over the rim of her glasses for a moment. She looked back down for a second before looking back up at Damian. She raised an eyebrow, pushing her glasses up into her hair as she took him in. After another second she asked “can I help you with something?”

“Uh, yes Ma’am.” Damian quickly rose from his seat, making his way forward, offering a brief nod to the other applicant before taking the seat across from his possible employers, glancing between the two with some apprehension. “My name is Damian, and I just happened to . . . find your ad in the paper. I was hoping that I could, perhaps, f-fill one of the positions. W-with my skillset, I could be either a server or a . . . b-bouncer, if you need one.”

Damian mentally cursed at himself as he stuttered his way through the end of his introduction. Still, he couldn’t take it back now, so he continued onward, reaching into his pocket to pull out a small notebook. Flipping through the pages, he found the page he was looking for and placed it on the bar table, pushing it slightly in Masha’s direction as an invitation to look. “I’ve also have some skill in fashion design, and after doing some research, made a few uniform designs that I thought might be good for a renovation based off the old designs. They’re just some quick sketches tho.”

The sketches presented weren’t bad , giving a range of 3 different outfits for both male and female staff, each with a set theme and all of them looking rather good for simple sketches. The first set seemed to take the name of the establishment too heart, having a slightly devilish flair to it with deep red coloration mixed with black, while holding mostly to a formal dress code. The next one was more oriented to a club setting, looking to be a bit lighter in terms of fabric without becoming tasteless and focusing on cooler neon colorations tempered by a midnight blue. The final one was the most standard of them all, just being some slight retouches to the current uniform, adding just a small hint of flair to them with flashes of iridescent accents making the outfit as a whole look fancier than it really was.

Masha looked at him with a raised eyebrow, smirking a little at his nervous panic. She looked to the other man for a moment and waved him off a little. “We’ll let you know,” she said to him and he nodded and got up. She took the notebook that Damian offered and looked through it with a reserved expression as she did so. They weren’t too bad, really. Maybe he could be of help with this place.

She slid it back over to him, smiling. “They’re nice,” she said passively, though there was sincerity in her tone as well. “So...Damian. Just happen to find the ad, of course. What kind of experience do you have working in a nightclub then that makes you think you capable of so many positions?”

“Um, well. . . I don’t have much experience with nightclubs specifically,” Damian admitted while nervously pulling at his hair. “b-but I have a good head for numbers, have a good memory, have been told that i’m generally pleasant to be around, which is why I think i’d be good as a server. I’m also pretty quick on my feet as well.”

“As for my qualifications as a bouncer. . .” His pause was longer this time, his face turned downward as he seemed to struggle with what he was trying to say. However, after a deep breath, he continued on, though his eyes didn’t rise to meet Masha’s as he did so. “Those are more tied to what I am, rather than who I am.”

Closing his eyes, Damian released his hold on his physical form, his features fading away into a haze of thick violet mist for a moment before reforming into a carbon copy of Masha, as if she were looking into a mirror. The only issue was the eyes, which still held Damian’s anxious energy instead of her own relaxed confidence. He would change once more, this time into a large and intimidating man that easily looked the part of ‘Nightclub bouncer’, before resuming his original form, eyes still downcast as he continued speaking.

“. . . My grasp on shadow magic isn’t perfect, but it can serve as a good restraint if need be.” Another nervous tug at his hair. “Me being a Nightwalker isn’t a problem . . . is it? I know my kind isn’t very . . well liked.”

Masha smirked at his acknowledgement that he'd never worked in a club before. She was not at all surprised. That had been her whole day. But then he went on and she sat looking at him with open surprise. This...this was not at all the type of applicant she was expecting to want to be in this shit hole of a night club.

She laughed, shaking her head slightly. “You literally have enough power to squash me, and you want to work at this trashy place?” She blinked more, closing her mouth that had been left slightly open in surprise. “You work for the Fox,” she said simply after a moment. She didn't need much more to figure that out. There was no other way that he'd be here. “He sent you. Maybe indirectly, but your his.”

Damian nodded, somewhat worried about her reaction and her knowledge of Darius, and that she had figured it out. Was this something she was supposed to know, or had he screwed up his job before at had even begun. His mouth suddenly felt very dry as anxiety and paranoia began to creep in, but he held the panic down for the moment, if only to formulate a response.

“Y-yes, but i’m uncertain of the reasoning behind it. I was just given the ad and told to apply, preferably as a bouncer.” Licking his lips, he ceased his sideways glances in favor for looking Masha right in the eyes. “I d-don’t want to cause any trouble Ma’am. I’ll do as you tell me as well as I can, I’ll keep my head low. I’m uncertain of what Darius has planned for me, or for you, or this club, but I’m certain he doesn’t want to hurt you or anything. Well. . .at least as certain as I can be.”

Masha laughed, picking up her cigarette case and pulling one out. Unless he counted any love bites he might give her, no, Darius didn't want to hurt her. “He and I are business partners of a sort. I'm doing him a favor here, of sorts, and he is doing me a very big favor. Well, sorta. It isn't as free or easy as all that. But the simple version is that he's mostly my boss too.”

She shrugged a little bit, lighting up. “As to why he sent you specifically, I'm sure I can figure that out soon enough.” And she did have quite a few ideas of what he could do for her, but she wouldn't put voice to them just yet. “So you can relax, Damian, I don't bite. Well, unless you want me to.”

Damian visibly relaxed as Masha explained her relation to Darius, glad that he hadn’t ruined one of Darius’ plans with his bumbling. That said, her last comment sent a shiver through his being, Masha’s form being momentarily replaced with that of Corinna before he quickly turned his eyes downward once more, his face quickly reddening with a blush as he once again started playing with his hair.

She laughed at his embarrassment, pleased that she could so easily make someone like him blush with just some joking words. “You are something, aren't you,” she chuckled. “I guess that concludes the interview. But might I suggest you don't let the other Manger know who else you work for. He and our mutual friend aren't on the friendliest of terms at the moment.” She hummed in thought for a second before deciding. “Probably best you meet with Irma, probably gonna put you on wait staff unless I really need your other abilities.”

“Understood.” Damian said with nod, his nerves finally having settled. It wasn’t the preferred occupation, he had managed to get hired and wait staff was likely a better fit for him anyway. However, he felt as if he was missing one crucial piece of info about his new employer. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking Ma’am, what’s your name? I’m guessing the other Manager is this Cortez i read about in the articles written online about this place, but there wasn’t any mention of someone like you ever working here. Did Darius pull you from somewhere to help run this place?”

Masha laughed as she put out the cigarette she was smoking and stood up. She had to think of how her accent sounded today. Did she sound more Russian right now because she was kinda tipsy and frazzled about this whole thing or did she sound more English just then. Not that she was sure that he’d know either way. “More like I showed up out of nowhere and asked for something. This is what he gave me.” She looked over at him with a smile as she started towards the back, adjusting her skirt back down to where it was supposed to be. “My name is Masha by the way.”

“I see,” Damian said with a somewhat confused look upon his face. From what he knew of Darius(which was admittedly little) he didn’t seem the type to just give people things because they asked. It made him wonder slightly about the relation between the two for a moment, but quickly discarded that train of thought. He was likely over thinking on the matter, and even if he wasn’t, the Nightwalker knew it unwise to try and dig into Darius’ personal matters. Stay low and do what you’re told. He reminded himself Nothing more. . . nothing less.

“Well, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Masha. I hope I meet your expectations of me.” Damian gave a quick bow, eyes scanning the club’s interior once more as he rose back up. “Tho I must say I envy your position. This establishment has seen better days.”

She grinned at that, her smile almost predatory. “It still hasn't seen the best yet. Now come among and don't dawdle.”

{SoL Period 1 Post}

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

Evening Chat

---

Time

Day 4~ 12 P.M.-10 P.M.

Location

Darius' Residence

---

Masha had headed home for a quick change and a chance to decompress for a few moments. There was so much to do at the club. There was so much to do with Nikki. And she was somewhat regretting jumping so quickly into this deal with Darius and the club. She might have been a little over confident about things. She might have bitten off a little more than she could chew. Thankfully her little boutique was going to be fine without too much of her input for the time being. But this might have been a bigger challenge than she should have taken on.

But right now, she wasn’t going to think too much about any of that. Right now she was going to take a shower and head over to Darius’ place and spend the rest of the night indulging in his companionship. She stripped out of her heels as she came into the door of her apartment, settling down on her couch before her newest little companion hopped up onto her lap, it’s weight lighter than his living counterparts. “I’m sorry I’ve not been here much tiny one,” she said softly, running a finger lightly over the zombie cat’s spine before she settled down. “My attention has been drawn elsewhere.” It meowed horsley and curled up, not letting Masha go any time soon. “Guess I should probably ask Afua if you have a tendency to turn others to your side,” she said with a soft hum, feeling the soft rumble of a purr coming from the creature's chest.

She hadn't meant to, but she drifted off for short while. Shaking her head clear she headed to the shower after gently dislodging the cat from her lap. After a quick blow dry of her hair that had gotten a little damp, she pulled on a short, vintage cut black dress patterned with cat skeletons and a pair of black heels. Her new home companion looked at her from the new perch on her bed (which was still made as she'd not slept in it yet) with an almost laughing look in her slowly milking eyes. “I'll take that as approval,” Masha said with a smug smirk. “See you later furry one,” she said with a wave as she headed out the bedroom and the apartment in general.

And for the first time, she was actually sober enough to drive herself to Darius’ place. It was actually probably the first time she'd driven in the city at all. Well maybe the second. And she was proud that she only got little lost once. Just hopefully she would be sober and not too hungover in the morning so she could drive herself into work.

Darius typed away on his computer. His eyes flickered from the keyboard to the screen in a trained habit. Claws tapped each letter with surprising gentleness. The words flowed in precision before reaching the end of the document. Casually he reached for a tablet and signed his name to the very end. With the last touches finished, he clicked send before his vulpine head tilted up. He saw Masha being let into his office.

A twinkle of lust and excitement at her presence filled his features.

Easily he pulled up from his chair and stepped to meet her, his figure careful not to brush the desk. Though he wasn’t expecting her, he obviously wasn’t disappointed in her arrival.

“Interesting fashion selection. Afua would approve of it, certainly.” Darius said as he paused to set his computer to a screen saver.

His figure strolled over, still resisting the urge to eye her up, as he debated with himself. Granted, he already seen her at her finest and most natural. An experience he enjoyed each time.

“I’ve been updated by Afua over some of the recent events. However, I prefer to compare notes from the source. Would you like something strong to drink?”


Maha smiled slyly at the look his face took on at her appearance. “I'm sure she would,” she laughed, genuinely amused. “Her gifted pet approved as well.” She took a step into the room, moving in further as he came towards her as well. She stood, just behind the chair that faced in towards his desk from the other side, one hand placed on the back of it as if considering if she was going to sit just then.

But then he turned the conversation over to less fun matters and she sighed slightly. “Yes, please,” she said with another soft sigh. “It’s been a very trying day, and it did not start off all that well either.” It had, somewhat, waking up at his place after another fun night. But work itself was a problem almost from the moment she walked into the door.

“I’ll admit, Afua’s ‘pets’ have some charm to them. Even when in a decomposing state.” Darius’ tone hinted to an aversion to Afua’s undead creatures.

He liked the necromancer, but her fascination had unforeseeable quirks. She often surrounded herself in corpses. Sadly, the odor began to linger upon her person. Whenever the scent filled his nostrils, his fur electrified into an alert state.

He found it distracting when he tried to hold a conversation some times.

Darius, the thought pushed to the back of his mind, opened his cabinets. He selected the Grenache bottle and two flutes, then turned back to the desk. The dark liquid cascaded into the V bottom and topped it off.

Darius passed it to Masha while he poured his own. He continued his idle conversation, intend on finishing what she started at his own pace.

“Feel free to elaborate.” Darius began to resume his seat across from her, intently looking at her.

She took the drink with a thankful smile, settling herself down into the chair at last. She took a drink, a big drink, before she spoke. “I should have listened to you better,” she murmured after a few moments, looking down at her lap instead of up at him. “I...he…”

She had been pushing these thoughts to back of her head all day, trying so very hard to not think too much about the details of what Cortes had had done to Nikki. Because thinking about it not only made her angry, it made her remember all the things she'd gone through too. Things she'd worked very hard at reprising through drug and alcohol abuse. Not that what had happened had left her in the same physical state, but she understood all too well what Nikki would be feeling once the physical pain was gone.

“They beat her and raped her and left her for dead in her own apartment,” she murmured softly, swirling the dark liquid about in her glass, watching it form little whirlpools. “And all because I thought she was pretty and I could flirt the info I wanted out of her before bedding her.”

She was quiet for a moment, obviously brooding some before looking up at him at last, her eyes a bright gold that showed a sort of excitement that wasn’t the quite the same as looks she’d given him in the last few days, but wasn’t that far off either. “I want to rip his cock off, shove it down his throat, and watch as he chokes to death on it. Then I’ll take every one of his useless, piece of shit thugs, and make sure they truly understand what it is they done before I help end their worthless lives.”

Darius, unfazed by her words, leaned back into his chair. His vulpine eyes studied her reaction to her first taste of Ominar’s underbelly. It seemed to be quite the eye opener. He sipped his drink and savored it, then gave his two cents over the matter.

“I wish it was that easy. Sadly it’s not.” Darius set his drink down and folded his hands across his lap. His intense eyes continued to lock with her.

“Appearance is important. Those under my employ and I can’t be unreasonable or the smaller fish might rally together in defense. This can be costly. Bigger sharks are often attracted by blood in the water.”

He inhaled. “I’ll be a gentleman and advise you to consider this a lesson. Now…what do you intend to do about it?”

Masha sighed and finally took a rather big drink. When that was down, she looked back at him and shrugged a little bit. “I am not fully sure of that right now,” she said a little reluctantly. “I don't know him well enough to know the best way to make him emotionally pay before I get rid of him. But I will make sure that he pays properly.”

She took another healthy drink before putting the glass down on his desk. “I do know he’s cocky enough to think that Nikki is all taken care of and that he can so easily get rid of me as well. He isn't very smart at being all that secretive. I mean, he plotted right in the same building I was in and could have easily walked in on.”

“Cortes is arrogant, not ignorant. If he’s acting stupid, there’s a reason. Possibly to increase your confidence so you’ll misstep. I’ve attempted to confront him and bring the hammer down in the past. Such actions had strained relationships I hadn’t expected.”

Darius pointed out his own experience with Cortes. Though it might've seem difficult to believe, he pushed caution against assumption. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. That last incident had been more hassle to clean than worth it. “It also could be someone other than yourself he’s trying to fool. How much do you really know of him?”

Masha pursed her lips, not enjoying that he always seemed to nay say what she said. Not that he was doing so to hurt her feelings she knew, which is why she didn’t say anything about it. But that didn’t mean she was happy about it either. “Well I wouldn’t act on anything without looking into it first,” she said with a passive little shrug of her shoulders, trying, and failing a little bit at not sounding like she was annoyed with him. “Honestly, not much. But given that I’ve been in town all of a week and only just had to know him. And I’ve had his mess to start cleaning up as well…” She trailed off some, shrugging again.

Darius’ right eyebrow lifted.

Through his expression remained neutral, he wasn’t quite use to the hint of attitude in his employees' words. Perhaps he should allow her to once more learn the hard way. This time having an employee die in her care due to ‘accidents’ and aiding Cortes’ bigger plot.

“If you rather learn the lessons the hard way, I will avoid any conversation and allow things to play out. As long as it doesn’t interfere with what I request for payment…”

The last words held a hint of warning. If she continued to get frustrated with him, he would no longer assist her. Darius inhaled, calming himself inwardly.

“I’m not dismissing your ideas, but offering other possible reasons based on what I last knew. Cortes has changed, but still has a talent for getting under people’s skin. Even doing it in a way you can’t exactly publicly slap him for. He will also discover Ms. Patel is alive one day.”

Darius took another sip of his drink. “You’re intelligent and resourceful enough to figure out his motives. I’m merely curious to the how.”

He didn’t genuinely compliment people, but Masha’s father and brother spoke highly of her. Darius expected more than he likely should from her.

Her cheeks colored at his words, making her feel childish for acting the way she did. Which only further reminded her of their age difference. Something she was sure that he was going to realize sooner rather than later and things would take a very quick turn for them. “It’s not that…” she said, looking up and sounding defensive. “I’m just...it’s not...I’m not used to being wrong or taken advantage of. Not anymore at least....” She trailed off for a moment, letting that hint of sadness and anger flash through quickly before she shoved it all back down again.

“I want your advice,” she went on when she was calmer again. “You know him better. I’ve already made sure that Nikki and her boy have better protection now. And I will double check it all in the morning as well.”

She flushed more at his compliment, as limited as it might have been, smirking the littlest bit smugly when she looked away. “I won’t let you down, I promise.”

Darius didn’t fully react beyond listening. He silently appreciated her regret of her behavior. Temper was best only when you needed to make a point and could do so with very little repercussions.

He let the moment linger. The lack of reaction to her pain might’ve seemed cold and distant, but it was only a mask. In fact, he could relate dangerously well to the type of experiences Masha mentioned.

Darius wasn’t here to give life lessons to her though or share his own past.

“I hope not. I don’t want to have to make an example of you and risk hurting my connections with your family. As for Ms. Patel and her son, they won’t be safe forever.”

It was hard, cold fact.

“As I said, Cortes has changed his tactics but he still is arrogant. If he’s doing things near you, he might not see you as a threat. Something you could play off of.”

Darius leaned forward as he continued.

“One thing you pointed out is that you really don’t know him. Take a few months to change that. Study where he goes, who he meets and his behavior. You have Afua, but I suggest you find someone with unique skills to help you when she leaves.”

She nodded her head, smiling at him some. She was glad that he'd not asked her to elaborate just now on past trauma. She knew that he wouldn't know about any of it. Because her father certainly didn't, and her brother only hardly knew. And she knew that Sergei wouldn't say anything to anyone, even Vlad. Not that she maybe wouldn't have liked if he would have asked, but she was least alright with not having to talk about it just then.

“I have open interviews tomorrow for our lacking staff,” she said with another nod of her head.

“Hopefully someone interesting and useful shows up to fill in just that role.” And she was sure that she could. Or at least get someone to be completely on her side that she could use to her advantage against him. And she would make sure of just that.

Darius felt he had enough business for the moment. As he digested her words, his figure rose upright. He walked casually around his desk to approach her. The vulpine eyes traced her skin. His attention traveled from her dress’ outline down to the meat of her legs, each peaking out from the skirt. It was obvious what he was thinking about.

“I have few… interesting employees that make me question my sanity. They are useful, but sometimes I wonder if they are worth the headache. Keep me updated on anyone that catches your eye.”

His figure leaned against the desk as he smirked.

“I’m pleased to say our business has reached its end for today.”

Masha watched as he walked around his desk, seeing easily what he was doing and where his eyes were at. This time, when her cheeks colored, it wasn't for anything embarrassing, but the thrill of what he was offering with that look. She tried not to squirm too much, sliding her one leg over the other tapping her foot with tattoo around her ankle to a beat in her head.

When she looked up at him, she smirked as well, her look a little more sly than his. “Well I'm very pleased to hear that,” she murmured, standing up and taking the few short steps to stand right in front of him. “Perhaps I can interest you in something a little more personal?”

Blood Act I~ Ghosts of the Past

☆ Helena ☆
Nox Mission

Helena was not at all surprised that he wasn’t having that. Though she was admittedly a little surprised by what he chose to attack her with. “This is not talking!” she said, her voice rising a little bit at the end as she tried to get away from the tentacles of darkness. And failing. Two of them wrapped around her foot and started to drag and tug and tighten about her so she couldn’t get away, making her start to lose her balance.

“This is definitely not talking,” she went on, trying to see if she could get her boot free, but by then it was already wrapped around her leg as well and yanking hard enough that she slipped and was beginning to be dragged by her one leg as more tentacles reached for her other. And her hands and waist, and any other part of her body that they could find.

Managing to yank her arm free, she caught the briefest flash of the yellow gemmed ring on her hand. She had the quickest of ideas, one she hopped would work. She doubted that the light she was about to bring forth would hurt the things grabbing at her, but she hoped that it would at least scare them off long enough for her to get free of them, regroup her thoughts, and hopefully burn them down. Which is what she was going to do if the light didn’t put them off first. Tapping on the ring three times, she waited while the light came out, still struggling against the holds against her as she did so. When it did, the gripping and pulling stopped for long enough for her to scramble back and get onto her knees again. “Fuck me,” she groaned, not certain that she had the energy or magic to do much more right that moment and still make it out of here on her own two feet.

The Orb of Mysticism - 1x1 RP between May and Black Ninja

Bea smiled over at him, laughing softly. “I do believe I’d have to agree with him,” she murmured, leaning her head against Roger’s shoulder. “Thank you, by the way,” she went on, still soft, but just loud enough for him to hear her. “For coming with me on this crazy trip.” She had always wanted to believe her father, and she had had no reason to doubt any of his research, so that was not an issue. But that there were some so willing to kill over it? That was just almost too much for her. And she hated having to drag Roger along with her on such a possibly dangerous thing. But she didn’t know if she could go on without him either.

《》《》

Rebeca made her way to the engine room and stood in the doorway for a moment while she watched Estella, crossing her arms over her chest some. “So you think you’re gonna stay for the long haul?” she asked, somewhat out of the blue. “Because I think you’d be a good fit here, ya know.”

⊰Manifest Anima: Planes Divided⊱

❀Emma❀

Day 4
{Emma's apartment| Around 6 am }

She chuckled some at him as she followed him in and closed the door behind them. She scooped up the dog before she could attack him with kisses or worse, attack their breakfast. "I have odd sleep hours sometimes," she said with a shrug of a free shoulder. "Especially when little puppies wanna go potty at the early hours of the morning."

She bloomed around her apartment with a dubious sort of look. Her home growing up had been much more opulent than this. This wasn't bad, but it wasn't much either. "If you say so," she mumbled as she headed into the kitchen to put the kettle on and get another mug down for him to make him something as well.

"You're doing just fine," she replied, looking over at him as she grabbed plates out of the cupboard onehanded. "I pretty much never say no to a good meal. Especially if I don't have to cook it and clean up is easy."